1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to product activation systems and methods, and in particular, to systems and methods for selectively activating optical devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the purposes of the present discussion, an optical device may be any device or medium that relies on optics to function properly. Examples of optical devices include, but are not limited to, Compact Discs (CDs), Digital Video Discs (DVDs), High Density DVDs (HD-DVDs), Blu-ray discs, and so on.
Systems and methods for selectively activating products are employed in various demanding applications including product theft-prevention, rental-return enforcement, and copyright infringement. Such applications often demand cost-effective systems that are difficult to circumvent, yet convenient to control with the appropriate equipment.
Systems for selectively activating products are particularly important in theft-prevention applications involving readily-shoplifted optical devices, such as CDs and DVDs. Conventionally, such optical devices are often tagged with a theft-prevention device, such as a sticker or a Radio Frequency Identification Tag (RFID) that is deactivated upon purchase. When deactivated, the devices prevent alarm-triggering tag functions from triggering alarms when a customer exits a merchandise outlet, such as a store.
Unfortunately, thieves may often readily notice and remove such tags. Furthermore, RFID tags may undesirably increase product costs and may further emit undesirable radio frequencies even after deactivation. For example, such frequencies may not be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for in-flight use.
Related application Ser. No. 11/410,478 describes a system for selectively enabling and disabling optical devices. It uses an optical blocking material covering an entire readable surface of the optical device. However, the energy required to activate such optical devices within a desired activation time (e.g., 1 to 3 seconds) is believed to be too large to be used safely in a retail setting. At acceptable energy levels, the activation process is considered too slow.